Taxonomy and Design Reference
AX.GAN.13.01 - Threat Summary
The threats of Andrus span a world shaped by three eras of arrival, seven primordial powers, and one catastrophic event that has not finished happening. The Blasted Reach is both a scar and an ongoing wound. The Murin corruption that emerged when the World Gate opened has been spreading in silence for a generation. The Anima, Kin, and Human cultures that share this world have their own internal conflicts, territorial, factional, ideological, that produce antagonists without any supernatural cause at all.
Andrus threats are organized into five categories. These are not exclusive: a Kin practitioner whose tradition has been corrupted by Murin is both Awakened (sapient) and Echo-Touched (Blackened). A wyvern colony that has been altered by proximity to Scar energy might appear in either Natural Fauna or Echo-Touched. GMs should place threats in the file most useful for discovery, and note category overlaps where they exist.
Threat Categories
Natural Fauna (AX.GAN.14.02)
Non-sapient wildlife native to Andrus. These creatures follow ecological patterns, territory, prey-availability, seasonal migration, and do not coordinate with other threat types unless directly trained or compelled. They are not evil. They are hungry, territorial, or protective of young.
The most significant Natural Fauna threats are the Serpentine Wyvern (pack hunter targeting young True Dragons and travelers) and the Bethir (terrestrial apex predator, the only known creature whose venom affects True Dragons). Both originate from the indigenous fauna of Andrus's First Era.
Awakened (AX.GAN.14.03)
Sapient peoples of Andrus, Anima, Kin, or Human, acting as antagonists. This category encompasses territorial disputes, factional enforcement, cultural conflict, and individual actors pursuing agendas in opposition to the players. Awakened threats use strategy, communication, and institutional backing that fauna cannot.
Key distinction: most Awakened threats can be negotiated with, bribed, intimidated, or resolved through means other than combat. The challenge is often discovering the correct lever before violence becomes inevitable.
Elemental (AX.GAN.14.04)
Uncontrolled elemental manifestations, occurrences when the raw power underlying the Kin traditions takes form without a practitioner directing it. This can result from catastrophic tradition overreach, proximity to World Gate residual energy, or Scar fissure pressure building to rupture in elemental-tradition territory.
Elemental threats are not sapient in the standard sense. They do not negotiate. They pursue the elemental imperative that defines them until dissipated, contained, or destroyed.
Echo-Touched (AX.GAN.14.05)
Creatures corrupted or animated by Murin, the seventh primordial power awakened by the World Gate's opening. This category includes the full taxonomy of the Blackened: mindless reanimates, Ghoul infiltrators, Wights, Vampires, ShadeKin, and the Ghoul Lord who directs the incursion from the Sepulcher Throne in the Blasted Reach mountains.
The Murin infection rules (below) apply to encounters with sentient Blackened. GMs running Blackened encounters should read AX.GAN.09.10 before the session.
Human Faction Threats (AX.GAN.14.06)
Members of the Third Arrival's four Human cultures acting through institutional channels or directed force. Ekhari Merchant House enforcement, Compact Warden adversaries, Consortium Arcanist operatives; these threats are as much about institutional consequence as physical danger. Defeating them in combat rarely resolves the underlying issue.
Power Level Quick Reference
| Level | Attribute Total | Health Range | Defense | Typical Combat Pool | Count in This Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minion | 3–4D | 25–27 | 1–2 | 3–4D | 3 |
| Standard | 5–7D | 31–34 | 2 | 4–6D | 6 |
| Elite | 8–10D | 37–40 | 2–3 | 6–8D | 6 |
| Champion | 11–13D | 48–51 | 3–4 | 8–10D | 2 |
| Legendary | 14D+ | 74+ | 4+ | 10–12D | 1 |
Encounter scaling: - 3–5 Minions roughly equals 1 Standard - 2–3 Standards roughly equals 1 Elite - A 9D party (standard generation package) fights Standard threats at parity; Elite threats require tactical planning
Murin Infection Rules (Cross-Reference)
The following rules apply to encounters with sentient Blackened (Ghouls, Wights, Vampires, ShadeKin, Ghoul Lord). Full rules are in AX.GAN.09.10; this section provides the encounter-facing summary.
Infection Trigger: After any combat in which a character was damaged by a sentient Blackened, that character makes a Body Save, Threshold 3.
- Success: No infection.
- Failure: Character enters Stage 1, Touched. They do not know. The infection is detectable only by Draconic Essence (True Form, Threshold 2) or by observing symptoms over time.
Infection Stages:
| Stage | Name | Symptoms | Progression Trigger |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Touched | None visible. Internal temperature drop. | Body Save Th3 failure at end of each Long Rest |
| 2 | Stained | Subtle pallor, reduced appetite, mild cold sensitivity. −1D to all rolls in direct sunlight. | Body Save Th3 failure at end of each Long Rest |
| 3 | Turned | Character death; rises as Ghoul under Murin direction within 24 hours. |
Treatment: Draconic Essence (Restore, Threshold 3) can address Stage 1 and early Stage 2 if applied within 48 hours of infection. No known treatment reliably addresses late Stage 2. No treatment exists for Stage 3, prevention is the only option.
Vampire Infection: As above, but Save Threshold 4. Progression is faster: Stage 1 → Stage 2 after one failed Long Rest save (rather than multiple).
Sunlight Rules for the Blackened
All sentient Blackened are affected by direct sunlight:
- Disadvantage on all rolls (only 6s count as successes)
- Powers suppressed: Tradition-equivalent abilities and special attacks cannot be activated
- Exposure penalty (Vampires only): Take 3 damage at the start of each Turn in direct sunlight
Mindless undead (Reach Wraiths, basic reanimates) are similarly impaired in sunlight but have fewer powers to suppress, the primary effect is Disadvantage.
Catalog Condition Cross-Reference
Andrus threats use conditions defined in AX.GAN.09.02. Quick reference:
| Condition | Effect | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Shaken | −1D all rolls | End of next Turn |
| Hindered | −1D Body pools | End of next Turn |
| Staggered | −2D Body pools + movement halved | Until Long Rest |
| Slowed | Movement capped at Close; −1D Speed pools | Speed Save Th2 each Turn to end |
| Immobilized | No movement; −2D attacks; attacks against at Advantage | Body Save Th3 to end |
Design Notes for GMs
The Murin Threat is Invisible: The Ghoul Lord's greatest advantage is that the faction leadership of Andrus doesn't know it exists. Wyverns are visible. The Bethir is a known predator. The Blackened infiltrate, and by the time the incursion is obvious, it is advanced. Design encounters where the characters can discover the pattern before it is undeniable, and where the discovery creates urgency rather than just information.
Natural Fauna are not villains: Wyverns are pack predators doing what pack predators do. The Bethir preys on what it can catch. Encounters with fauna should feel ecological; there is a reason these creatures are in this place at this time, and understanding that reason (fire in their territory, disrupted food supply, nesting season) opens non-combat resolution paths.
Awakened threats have consequences: Killing an Ekhari House Guard is an assault on Merchant Council personnel. Killing a Compact Warden, even one who has become an adversary, has political ramifications that survive the combat. The institutional weight behind these threats is part of their design.